Should Bengals Insert Jordan Battle Into Safety Rotation?
Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Allow me to begin this article with a brief opening statement.
PLAY JORDAN BATTLE
PLAY JORDAN BATTLE
PLAY JORDAN BATTLE
PLAY JORDAN BATTLE
PLAY JORDAN BATTLE— NotJermaineBurton (@JBurtonSZN) September 25, 2024
Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, I would like to make one more quick remark.
Play Jordan Battle.
Play Jordan Battle.
Play Jordan Battle.
Play Jordan Battle.
Play Jordan Battle.
Play Jordan Battle.
Play Jordan Battle.
Play Jordan Battle.
Play Jordan Battle.
Play Jordan Battle.
Play Jordan Battle.
Play Jordan Battle.
Play Jordan Battle.
Play Jordan Battle.— The Nati King (@thenatiking) September 24, 2024
I believe I’ve made my point.
Battle was the Cincinnati Bengals’ third-round pick from a season ago, who started seven games and played in 48% of the defensive snaps last year. The safety had an outsized impact for his part-time role, making 71 tackles (four for a loss), three QB hits, 2.0 sacks, and an interception. It was a performance that got Battle onto the PFF All-Rookie Team last season.
Coming into 2024, most expected Battle to build off his impeccable rookie year and become a cornerstone of the Bengals’ secondary. However, he has been almost a complete non-factor in the defensive rotation. In the Bengals’ first three games, he has played one total snap in coverage.
Jordan Battle playing one snap is absolutely ridiculous. What is going on with that??
— Chuckles1977 (@Chuckles19772) September 16, 2024
He lost his starting job to Vonn Bell, the veteran who returned to Cincinnati this offseason after a one-year stint with the Carolina Panthers. Bell has played in 188 snaps through three games, trailing only Logan Wilson for the team lead on defense.
So far, he’s been the bizarro version of Battle. Despite getting so much playing time, Bell has not been the player Bengals fans came to know and love during the Super Bowl run of 2021. All nine of his targets against have become completions, and quarterbacks have a 101.4 passer rating when targeting Bell.
That’s not to say Bell hasn’t been an upgrade over Nick Scott, who went to the Panthers after being released just one year into his three-year contract with in Cincinnati. To Bell’s credit, he’s been a decent run defender with 12 tackles on the year and only one missed tackle. His veteran presence is also invaluable on a defense that badly needs leadership.
However, while Bell has been competent in several areas so far this season, Battle was superb in 2023.
Not only was he the Bengals' highest graded defender, Jordan Battle had PFF's 5th highest safety grade of any rookie in the last 10 years. pic.twitter.com/veKVT8oxoD
— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) January 8, 2024
In 2023, Battle was not only an All-Rookie, but he was PFF’s eighth highest-graded safety in the entire NFL. His 2023 grades were superior to Bell’s grades in every major category. Here’s how they stacked up in terms of:
- Overall Defense: (Battle: 82.5; Bell: 63.9)
- Run Defense: (Battle 81.3; Bell 59.8)
- Tackling: (Battle 76.7; Bell 71.1)
- Pass-Rushing: (Battle 69.6; Bell 68.2)
- Coverage (Battle 76.4; Bell: 63.8)
Maybe the Bengals got away with limiting Battle to almost exclusively special teams reps for the first two games, but the secondary was definitely exposed in Week 3. After their defense got absolutely eviscerated by Jayden Daniels on Monday night, it sure looks like leaving Battle out of the rotation entirely is an absolute missed opportunity to see what the team might have in the second-year safety.
Last year, Battle made a statement and earned the starting job at safety midway through the season due to his strong play, combined with Nick Scott setting the bar egregiously low. He was a major reason why the defense was able to keep the team afloat in the wake of Joe Burrow’s injury-riddled season. He was fifth on the team in tackles, and did so while holding opposing quarterbacks to an 83.1 passer rating in coverage. For context, that is comparable to Desmond Ridder’s passer rating (83.4) over the 2023 season.
After the game-long nap Cincinnati’s defense took during Monday’s game against the Commanders, adjustments almost certainly need to be made. The absolute easiest one they can possibly make is putting Battle in a role that he thrived in last year. Even if the secondary is upgraded overall, as long as Battle is exiled to the special teams snaps, the Bengals are leaving something on the table.
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